More important than rings, points or any on court achievement between LeBron James and Michael Jordan is their ongoing chase for most times a basketball player has been referenced in rap lines.
Hip-hop has changed immensely since Jay Z packed Jordan’s retirement, return “wearing the 4-5” and refusal to “play games with you,” but rather “aim at you” into four bars on his legendary hit Encore. Trap influence has taken over since and there’s more room than ever for vulnerability and various complementary sounds have fused into beats. That said, no stylistic shifts will ever tear the inseparable bond between basketball and hip-hop.